Uprooted
by MrsMoony993
Summary: The famous Marauders are falling apart at the seams. The foundations they set in stone are being uprooted by suspicions. M for a possibility of coarse language later on, just in case.
1. James: Photographs

_**Author's note:** Hello, all, s'been a while. SO SO SORRY to my usual readers who were left hanging at my other fic. I have just got over a severe case of writer's block, and it was due to the ending of that particular fic, which i knew needed to happen but I was just so uninspired by ...anyway, here's a new 'un. Hopefully it'll rejuvenate me and help me finish the other one off. It's going to be split into a few parts, each from different POV's (though all will be in third person). Set in 1981. Many many prompts, including the line "Your mother was there for me at a time when no one else was" from the POA film, and the fact that Sirius thought that Remus was the spy. And "You're like James... who would have regarded it as _the height of dishonor_ to mistrust _his friends_" from Deathly Hallows. Reviews are lovely :)  
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_First, James' POV. _

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><p>"I'm telling you, James, we cannot trust him!"<br>"And you can keep telling me, Sirius, but it won't make this any easier to deal with or to understand!"

James Potter rarely raised his voice when talking to Sirius Black. It wasn't often that they referred to each other by their real names as opposed to their childhood nicknames either, despite being 3 years out of school. Therefore, if anybody who knew them happened to be sitting in on their conversation in the Potter's living room, they would barely believe their eyes. James was pacing backwards and forwards in front of the smouldering fireplace. The mantelpiece behind him flickered with moving photographs of a baby boy and his red-headed mother smiling with matching emerald eyes, and four young boys laughing and joking beside a vast lake.

Sirius watched him from the sofa, a dark expression swept across his usually jovial face. James had never known Sirius to be so, well, serious. His trademark cocky grin had vanished, replaced by clenched teeth beneath tight lips. It was this seriousness that made James concerned. He had only seen Sirius this angry a handful of times, and each time his anger had been justified. But to think that Remus would betray them to Voldemort... Remus Lupin, the shy, retiring young man who would do anything for his friends. Remus Lupin, who didn't have a single bad bone in his self-deprecating body. James simply could not believe it. He stopped pacing, and with a deep sigh planted himself next to Sirius on the sofa, taking a swig from his bottle of butterbeer.

Neither man said a word for a few moments. James could feel Sirius loosen next to him, and some of the tension in the room was lifted.  
>"I'm sorry Sirius. I just can't imagine Remus being capable of something like that," James said finally in a small voice, swirling his butterbeer in the bottle absentmindedly. "He's our friend, for Merlin's sake! Do you remember in our second year, when we found out about his furry little problem? I've never seen him look so terrified in his life. He was so scared of losing us, that I can't imagine him ever even thinking of betraying us."<p>

Sirius smiled sadly at the memory.

"Remus isn't that 12 year old boy any more, James. You know as well as I do that since he's been on this werewolf mission for the Order, everything about him has changed. He's been drinking more-"  
>"-And we should help him," James retorted.<p>

"No, James, don't you see?" Sirius suddenly flung himself away from the sofa, rounding on James. "He's finally realised what a harsh life his kind lead! He's bitter, James, any old Squib can see that! And Voldemort...Voldemort is the only one promising protection for his-his-"

"Don't refer to him as if he's not a human being, Sirius," James said through gritted teeth, placing his bottle on the coffee table beside the sofa.

"But he ISN'T a human being, bloody hell James! He's a fully fledged monster once a month, we've seen it with our own eyes!"

"What on earth is going on down here?" Lily Potter had just entered the room, an empty glass in her hand as she frowned from her husband to his best friend.

James sighed in defeat. "Sirius has some rather interesting ideas about who might be betraying us," he said, never taking his eyes off Sirius, who looked as if he was about to explode.  
>Lily, who, like James, refused to believe that any of their immediate friends would betray them, pointedly ignored this as she replied, "Again? Well keep it down then, Harry's sleeping upstairs and Remus is still recovering-"<p>

"Why in the name of Godric Gryffindor would you let him into your house, Lily?" Sirius hissed. James' eyes darted to his wife, whose eyes were glinting with a dangerous glare.

"Because he's my friend, Sirius! And up until quite recently, he was yours as well, until you started treating him like sh-"

"He's betraying you. Pete saw it with his own eyes! He saw Remus with Snape, a known bloody Death Eater!"  
>"And why would you believe that snivelling idiot over Remus?" Lily bit back.<p>

"Because I'm not completely blind, Lily! Have you not noticed the bandage around his left arm? Coincidentally, that's the arm they get their poxy little Dark Marks tattooed on. I saw him myself coming out of the Ministry, looking shifty. He refused to tell me what he was up to. He's bad news, Lily! And you're letting him sleep in your house, near Harry!"

James had never seen his wife look so angry, which was rather monumental, as she had spent the majority of her teenage life being inexplicably angry with him. He had to hand it to Sirius, who didn't even flinch under her glare.

"Sirius Black, I cannot believe you. The man has just spent the past year with feral werewolves, trying to get them on our side even though he knows it's a suicide mission, for the Order. Did you even see the state he was in this morning when he came knocking on our door? I hate to think what might've happened to him if he hadn't have reached us in time. He's going through a horrible time in his life, in case you were too blinded by your own twisted theories to notice! He needs his friends, and all you can do is accuse him of gallivanting off with Death Eaters!"

Sirius seemed lost for words. James had always known that his wife had a deep affection for Remus, but he was still taken aback by her angry cries, the wave of tears brimming in her emerald eyes.

Rather bravely, Sirius spoke in a quiet voice.

"Lily, I know you don't want to believe it. I don't want to believe it either. But he's changed. Since being on this mission... hell, since leaving Hogwarts, he's become a completely different person. He goes missing for days, weeks, when he's meant to be home from his mission. His drinking has got out of hand, and he won't let anyone go near that damn bandage on his arm. Did he let you near it? Just now, when you were helping him out?"

Lily frowned. "No, no he didn't. And yes, he's changed. But before you go jumping to ridiculous conclusions, just remember the opportunities you've had. How you didn't need to even try to pass your NEWTS, and how the Auror office practically begged you to come and work for them. Remus had none of that, and he worked harder than all of us put together. I thought you'd know better than to be so bloody insensitive! And James agrees with me, don't you James?"

James flinched, his eyes wavering between his wife and his best friend, who were both staring at him impatiently. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose out of pure exhaustion.  
>"Can we not discuss this another time? Remus is...Remus is ill, Pads. We need to help him, like he would help us."<br>"But James-"  
>"Sirius, just stop. I don't believe that any of you are betraying us, least of all Remus, and that's the end of it. It looks bad, I know, but I can't get my head around it."<br>It was then that James noticed the glint of a badly bruised pale blue eye peering through the gap between the door to the hallway and it's frame. It disappeared as soon as he had noticed it.  
>"Do what you want about the secret keeper thing if it makes you feel better. It's in your hands, Pads," James sighed, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder. Sirius responded with a curt nod.<br>"Just let me know when you're ready, mate."  
>Sirius clapped James on the back, and James returned the favour, his arm around Sirius' shoulder. Their argument seemed to be forgotten, although it hung in the air around them as thick as lead.<br>"Right. I'm going to brew this potion for Remus. I won't be long, James," Lily said pointedly as she exited the room.

James let his eyes wander over to the photograph of him and his best friends beside the glistening lake. He caught a glimpse of Remus, realising how much he had aged in such a short amount of time. In the photograph, his pale blue eyes gleamed happily as James slung his arm around him, and Sirius bunny-eared him. Peter was running to get into the picture, and subsequently tripped over his own shoelaces. As his watched his photograph-self, and his young friends, laughing with each other, james wondered where it had all gone wrong.

It was going to be okay. It had to be okay.

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><p><em>That's the first chapter! Reviews would be amazing, I enjoyed writing this (though it's taken me the best part of a day aha) and would like to do the ideas in my head justice. Second chapter shall be up asap<em>


	2. Lily: Storms

_Thank you for all my reviews so far, and I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner! Been working quite a bit and was afraid I wasn't devoting enough time to getting this right, but piece by piece it's sort of come together :) Reviews are loverly, and I don't own characters, JK Rowling does etc etc etc_

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><p><strong><span>Lily<span>  
><strong>  
>Lily frowned as she stared down at her empty cauldron, her mind still buzzing with the conversation between her husband and his best friend that she had interrupted. How anybody, never mind Sirius, could believe that Remus Lupin would spy on his friends was beyond her. Although...<p>

_"...he won't let anyone go near that damn bandage on his arm. Did he let you near it?"_

She shook her head violently, as if trying to shake Sirius' words and the naggling suspicion that came with them out of her mind. It was a preposterous idea; Remus was devoted to his friends. She clenched her fist in anger at the way that Sirius had offhandedly called him a monster. It would destroy him if he heard one of his friends call him that, most of all Sirius, who had always been adamant that Remus was just as human, if not more human, than any of them.

Lily unclenched her fist with a sigh, noting how her fingernails had dented red crescents into her palms. She reached for a small, weathered jar on the shelf behind her, setting her mind back to that morning.

_The morning wind howled and moaned, slapping the rain against the walls of the house. Despite this, Lily felt as if she was laying in silence. Her husband's usual snores were absent, and she knew that he had had as much trouble sleeping as she had. They had been told the previous evening that the person spying on them for Voldemort was a lot closer to home than they had ever imagined. Sirius, who had been less than his usual cheerful self of recent, had been angrier than she had ever seen him. Peter had quivered and squeaked in shock. Remus was absent, the waxy full moon waning over them a constant reminder of this. Dumbledore had suggested being their secret keeper, but Sirius wanted to do it himself. Throughout the meeting, James had remained pale and silent, disbelief etched across his weary face._

_Lily turned in bed to face him. His hazel eyes were open, staring at the ceiling. They seemed empty, and she doubted it was solely to do with the fact he wasn't wearing his glasses. Lily reached out to take his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She wanted to say something to comfort him, but knew it was near impossible. They had decided to set up the fidelius charm today, so that they had a chance to say goodbye to Remus, Frank and Alice, who would not be able to contact them until they discovered who the spy was. Dumbledore and Sirius objected to this delay, but James had been firm. Lily knew how much this was killing her husband. He couldn't imagine why any of his friends would betray him and his family, and if she was honest, neither could she. She shuffled closer to him, and he took her in his arms, resting his head on top of hers. He absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair, and she sighed under his touch. It was these moments that she cherished; the moments that reminded her that there was something worth fighting for amongst the chaos of war._

_The lulling peace was disturbed only by the sound of a faint cry from the adjacent room. Harry. Lily broke away from James with a look of fleeting panic and grabbed her wand, muttering "Lumos" as she exited the room._

_"Harry?" she called softly, feeling her body relax when she saw that her son was very much alone. She flicked on the lights and extinguished her wand light, scooping Harry up into an embrace. His crying stopped immediately as he snuggled into her. She asked herself for what felt like the millionth time why anybody would want to harm the boy in her arms. Her boy. All she knew was that she would stop at nothing to protect the boy with James' unruly jet-black hair and her eyes._

_She heard a small creak behind her, and turned to see James, who looked uncharacteristically tense._  
><em>"Is he alright?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow as if to try to mask his insecurities. She nodded, and he made to move closer to her when they heard a stifled groan from outside. Husband and wife shared a puzzled look, and James produced his wand from his dressing gown pocket, sidling past Lily and Harry towards the window. Lily joined him, holding Harry to her tightly. In the dim early light of the street, she just about made out a shabby-looking figure who appeared to be limping straight towards the house.<em>

_James visibly tightened his grip on his wand as he squinted at the window. It wasn't until the figure hobbled into a pool of amber light resonating from a muggle street lamp that they realised who it was._

_James immediately rushed downstairs, ignoring Lily's cries of "He could be an impostor!"_  
><em>She immediately placed Harry into his cot and tumbled after her husband, powering down the stairs just in time to see James open the front door, and Remus collapse onto the hall carpet.<em>

He had looked worse than she had ever seen him. A sickly yellow bruise covered his bloodshot right eye completely, and the rest of his face was barely recognisable underneath a maze of fresh, some still bleeding, scars. This was nothing, however, compared to the state of his bad leg. It looked as if a chunk had been sliced out of his lower leg with a butcher's knife, so much so that a glimmer of marble bone was visible underneath the mass of blood. They had moved him into the guest bedroom, wincing at the creaking noise apparently emitting from his bones.

It was precisely this that had worried Lily when Remus had told her that he was spying on the werewolves for Dumbledore. She glared into the cauldron, suddenly felt a surge of anger towards the old man for allowing a 20-year-old man to do such a dangerous task. The glass jar she was holding slipped out of her hand and into the cauldron, shattering into tiny pieces. She went to reach for her wand to clear up the mess, but when she turned back, it had already vanished. Puzzled, she spun round to see a weary looking Remus leaning against the doorway, bandaged and smiling bleakly.  
>"Show off," she muttered playfully as she realised he had performed wandless magic.<br>She eyed the bandage on his left arm, and Remus, who seemed to notice, frowned and rubbed his sleeve to cover it. Lily's heart sank slightly as she remembered Sirius' words.  
>"War wound," he mumbled. Lily only nodded.<br>"Shouldn't you be in bed?"  
>Remus shrugged and shuffled into the room, beginning to work his calloused thumb into the wooden work surface.<br>The awkward silence that followed was broken by the sound of the door creaking. James poked his bespectacled head through the gap between the door and it's frame, before he entered the room fully with a weary smile.  
>"I thought I heard you talking to somebody, how are you Moons? Are you going to tell us what happened now that you're not unconscious or are you gonna leave us guessing?"<br>Lily could sense the false cheeriness in his voice, something that had become a common occurrence as of late. James' need to remain strong and keep the mood light was at times heartbreaking, the worry shining through his hazel eyes making her ache with sadness.  
>"Greyback," Remus croaked. "Took a bite out of my leg."<br>"Bloody hell!" James exclaimed. "Why would he do that?"

Remus shrugged, a stared down at his feet. Lily softened.

"What happened?" she reached over to touch his arm lightly, trying to meet his eyes.  
>"Well, the full moon last night... he tried to-he wanted me to-"<br>Lily's emerald eyes settled on to James' hazel ones in a moment of shared anxiety.  
>"They were going after kids."<br>Remus moved away from her touch, ashamed, and began pacing, the limp in his step slowing him down. James exhaled loudly.  
>"Shit, Remus..."<br>"I couldn't do it. I got punished," Remus continued with a sarcastic snort.  
>"You couldn't do what?" a voice called from the doorway. Sirius was leant against the doorframe, his arms folded, wearing a deeply set frown.<p>

Lily glanced at James, who had shoved his hands in his pockets and seemed to be trying desperately to look at anything and everything but Remus and Sirius. The ominous feeling that something bad was about to happen prickled the hairs on the back of her neck. Lily waited in the silence for the storm to erupt.


End file.
